Device and method for generating stereoscopic image

Abstract

A rotation angle obtaining unit obtains an angle by which a stereoscopic image of a subject is to be rotated around a line-of-sight direction. A multi-viewpoint image accumulation unit accumulates a plurality of images of the subject obtained in one direction by changing capturing positions, as multi-viewpoint images. A selection unit selects base images for the stereoscopic image from the multi-viewpoint images accumulated in the multi-viewpoint image accumulation unit, based on the rotation angle. A rotation unit rotates the selected base images based on the rotation angle to generate images which are to form the stereoscopic image of the subject.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A stereoscopic image generation device comprising:
 a multi-viewpoint image storage including a plurality of stored images, the plurality of stored images being images of a subject captured at different positions; 
 a rotation angle obtaining unit configured to obtain a rotation angle at which a stereoscopic image of the subject is to be rotated around a line-of-sight direction; 
 a selection unit configured to select two base images from the plurality of stored images, the two base images being determined based on the rotation angle; and 
 a rotation unit configured to rotate the two base images at the rotation angle, thereby generating images which are to form the stereoscopic image of the subject rotated at the rotation angle, 
 wherein the selection unit determines first capturing positions based on the rotation angle, and selects, from the plurality of stored images, the two base images captured at second capturing positions that are within a predetermined range from the first capturing positions in a direction perpendicular to a parallax direction in the stereoscopic image. 
 
     
     
       2. The stereoscopic image generation device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of stored images are images captured at capturing positions provided in a plane facing the subject, and 
 the capturing positions are placed in the plane on a circumference of a circle whose center is a reference point corresponding to a location of the subject. 
 
     
     
       3. The stereoscopic image generation device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the plurality of stored images are images captured at capturing positions provided in a plane facing the subject, and 
 the capturing positions are placed in the plane at grid points of a grid region including a reference point corresponding to a location of the subject. 
 
     
     
       4. The stereoscopic image generation device of  claim 1 , wherein
 the selection unit selects, from the plurality of stored images, the two base images of which the capturing positions are closest to positions obtained by rotating reference capturing positions by the rotation angle. 
 
     
     
       5. A stereoscopic image generation method comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a rotation angle at which a stereoscopic image of a subject is to be rotated around a line-of-sight direction; 
 selecting a plurality of stored images which are images of the subject captured at different positions, the two base images being determined based on the obtained rotation angle; and 
 rotating the selected two base images at the rotation angle, thereby generating images which are to form the stereoscopic image of the subject rotated at the rotation angle, 
 wherein the selecting step includes determining first capturing positions based on the rotation angle, and selecting, from the plurality of stored images, the two base images captured at second capturing positions that are within a predetermined range from the first capturing positions in a direction perpendicular to a parallax direction in the stereoscopic image. 
 
     
     
       6. The stereoscopic image generation device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first capturing positions are positions of left and right images of the stereoscopic image having a parallax inclined at the rotation angle.